Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“What’s all this, then?” The alpha stepped onto the grass and looked everyone over. His gaze lingered on Brochan and he entirely dismissed the gargoyles and other magical types. Jessie might not have been there at all. His people spread out behind him, half the force of Alpha Steele’s people. Finally, the resident alpha met Alpha Steele’s gaze. The newcomer’s muscles flexed, and his jaw clenched. He was very expressive for a shifter and downright comical for an alpha. He hadn’t had good training.
“This is the end of the line for you and your enforcers,” Alpha Steele said, his voice hard and authoritative.
“Look,” Jessie whispered.
Tristan followed her gaze. People peeked out from around buildings, clearly frightened and cautious. They had their phones out, filming. That was what they needed for the shifter side of things—someone like Patty. They needed someone facilitating gossip.
“That right?” The resident alpha spat to the side, not taking his eyes off Alpha Steele. “On whose authority?”
“Mine.” It was more of a growl than a word.
“Well, see, you can’t challenge me.” He sucked at his teeth. “You gotta have some sort of official capacity to come in here and throw your weight around.”
“Is that what you’re doing here? Creating rules that make no sense?” Alpha Steele didn’t move, didn’t even twitch a muscle, but suddenly, the resident alpha jerked as though slapped. Alpha Steele must’ve let his beast peek out of the darkness. “You’ve been plaguing these people long enough. It ends today. You can challenge me officially, or you can run. Either way, you will die. Choose.”
“Gracious,” Jessie murmured. Heat soaked her tone—her gargoyle liked that threat. Tristan knew how she felt. He wanted to be in the action.
The resident alpha huffed. “We’ve got an imbalance of power here, and I didn’t challenge you. You’ve gotta allow me to choose another.”
“You’re a cancer to the world of shifters,” Alpha Steele said in a rough voice. “A disgrace to our magical type. I don’t gotta do anything. Made-up rules won’t help you with me.” He undid his buttons. “Neither will real ones. Or don’t you know who I am? I’m Austin Steele, and I’m here to tuck you into your grave.”
The resident alpha smirked, but his eyes appeared cagey in a hurry. “Steele? Never heard of ya,” he said—obviously a lie. A big one. Fear soaked into the lines of his body. His panicked gaze flicked right, to what was probably his beta. That shifter had been in the middle of their line, but he seemed to have the most power besides the alpha. The beta inclined his head slightly and touched a flat area in his pocket. Someone else in line couldn’t keep himself from glancing off toward the buildings of the town.
“Heads up,” Tristan whispered to Jessie. “Incoming.”
“Yeah. Even I could— Oh, no.”
The “incoming” wasn’t what Tristan had been expecting, which was the rest of their force running to ambush. Instead, it was five people shoving children in front of them. Two kept their hands wrapped around the backs of little necks. All the adults held knives, and suddenly Tristan couldn’t see anything but red. Red everywhere, pulsing at the edges of his vision, tightening his chest, curling his hands into fists. If he had his way, these shifters would die painfully for this horror. For using innocence as a shield.
Gruesomely.
A pulse of magic swept the area. Jessie was calling in the basajaunak.
She put a hand on Tristan’s forearm. “I won’t let the children be harmed. Be easy, Tristan. We don’t want any sudden movements here.” Her expression and voice were utterly calm. “Keep the gargoyles in check.”
“What…” The resident alpha was trying to look around in confusion while not taking his eyes off Alpha Steele. He shook it off. “Just remember who it was who said they didn’t like rules.” One of his guys pulled away from their haphazard line, taking out his phone, and presumably started filming. “You don’t have rules, then neither do I. We have a nice, quiet little setup here. We don’t need any outsiders coming in. Keep to your business, leave here without trouble, and we’ll have no reason to spill the kiddies’ blood.”
Jessie walked toward a frozen and seething Alpha Steele, her movements syrupy slow and graceful. The wind fluttered her hair. She wore a kind smile as she addressed the resident alpha.
“Hello.” She crossed in front of Alpha Steele, trailing her hand behind, and took one of his. He shook. Clearly, he was doing everything in his power to keep his beast at bay, but it was a struggle. He, like Tristan, like the inferno on the other side that was Brochan, wanted to smear this vermin from the earth.
The resident alpha’s expression closed in confusion.
“I’m the co-ruler. Alpha.” She shrugged with a big smile. “Whatever.” She leaned against Alpha Steele, looping her arm around his. “I’m his mate, so please have a care how you speak to me. You must know what happens to an alpha if his mate is threatened. He won’t be able to help himself, and all our viewers at home will blame you and not him. How about we try to settle this peacefully?”